State Gives Highest Cultural Award, AKI 2025 Raises Regional Maestro to Innovator

The Ministry of Culture held the 2025 Indonesian Cultural Award (AKI) Phase III at Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, Wednesday, December 17. (IST)

JAKARTA - The state reiterated its commitment to cultural work. The Ministry of Culture held the 2025 Indonesian Cultural Award (AKI) Phase III at Ciputra Artpreneur, Jakarta, Wednesday, December 17 at night, as the highest award for cultural actors who maintain, care for, and renew Indonesian identity.

Carrying the theme of Renjana as a Cultural Driver, AKI 2025 highlights the concrete role of cultural actors in the midst of globalisation, ecological crisis, and technological disruption. Awards are given in seven main categories, ranging from Traditional Art Maestro, Literature, Pioneers and/or Reformers, to Media, Children, and Indigenous Communities.

In the Literature category, the award was given to Godi Suwarna, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, and D. Zawawi Imron. Meanwhile, the Pioneers and/or Reformers category placed names such as the creator of the Ratoh Jaroe dance, Yusri Saleh, Muhammad Ridwan Alimuddin, Agus Dermawan Tantono, to Kampung Seni Tegal as examples of cultural work that has a direct impact on society.

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon emphasized that AKI is not a ceremony, but a marker of the state's presence in the cultural ecosystem. "This award confirms that working to maintain the memory, imagination, and sustainability of national identity has a strategic meaning," he said.

In addition, the Maestro of Traditional Art award was given to five figures from various regions, including Tobani Rinyo Tiku (Sigi) and M. Din (Central Aceh). The Ministry of Culture also awarded the Satya Budaya Narendra to seven national figures, including Jaya Suprana, Elvy Sukaesih, and historian, Prof, Dr. Anhar Gonggong, for their cross-generational contributions to cultural development.

At this moment, the government also symbolically handed over trauma healing assistance to artists affected by disasters in Aceh and Sumatra, emphasizing the role of culture in the social recovery process.

Director General of Development, Utilization, and Cultural Development Ahmad Mahendra called AKI as a reminder that the strength of the nation rests on the values that are maintained together. AKI 2025 itself is held through a strict and tiered selection, and is designed to be sustainable as a strategic database of national culture.

The government ensures that this award is not the end point, but rather the beginning of accompaniment so that cultural actors remain productive, networked, and pass on knowledge to the next generation.